


French plaits

by MeltingCatfish



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Angst, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/F, F/M, Fluff, Friendship, Gay, Hair Braiding, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Implied/Referenced Homophobia, POV First Person, Platonic Female/Male Relationships, Reader-Insert, This is my 1st fic so please be gentle, This was based on a dream I had
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-02
Updated: 2021-01-02
Packaged: 2021-03-12 16:01:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,456
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28513071
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MeltingCatfish/pseuds/MeltingCatfish
Summary: The gang is at the Western Air Temple and the reader seeks to make friends with a newly reformed Zuko and she finds herself plaiting his hair as they have an emotional conversation. -This is based off a weird dream I had
Relationships: Mai/Zuko (implied), Zuko (Avatar) & Reader
Comments: 6
Kudos: 15





	French plaits

**Author's Note:**

> This is mainly in line with the actual plot of the series with the addition of one extra character and a couple of extra details.

I had been travelling with the avatar gang for a few months now after I ran into them in a forest outside Ba Sing Se and we decided to join forces, as we all had a common enemy- the fire nation. They had taken someone I loved from me and I wanted in on their plan to defeat the Firelord. I wasn't a bender but I was extremely skilled with a bow and arrow and I wasn't too bad with a sword either so I was welcomed into their group with open arms and I have been travelling with them ever since.

Now we were staying at the Western Air Temple and just had a very interesting run-in with Zuko. He came to us to ask for forgiveness and everyone was very wary of him, understandably but I didn't really know what to think of the teenage fire bender with anger issues. We had met before and I had just narrowly escaped one of his flaming balls of fire but I am notoriously bad at holding grudges and he did seem to be honestly regretful of his actions. Honestly, I felt kinda bad for the dude. He did his big apology speech and everyone still kinda hates him, even Aang seems kinda wary of him.

So, a couple of days after Zuko came, I was lying in the fields above the temple trying to relax and I saw Zuko sitting a few meters away from me amongst the grass with his head in his hands. I noticed he seemed to always isolate himself from the rest of the group and I wanted to change that because I know what it's like to feel isolated and alone, so I walked over to him. He jumped when I fell down next to him and looked a bit wary of me.

"Hey Zuko, what's up," I asked, trying to be nonchalant but miserably failing. 

"Um nothing really, why are you sitting with me?" he asked, seeming genuinely confused as to why I would want to sit next to him. I wasn't really sure what to answer with because the honest answer was that he looked lonely and I wanted to solve that, but I felt like I shouldn't open with that. My eyes fell onto his hair and I thought about how much it had grown out since he shaved his head and the weirdest thought came into my head and, as I had absolutely no control over my mouth I blurted out, "Can I plait your hair?"

He stared at me for a moment, obviously shocked and most probably weirded out by my strange request which was very understandable, but I had a sudden weird urge to run my fingers through his hair and see if it was long enough to plait, (people always had told me that I was a bit of a weirdo but I commonly take it as a compliment.) He still seemed hesitant when he replied a while later, "Uh ok". 

I didn't need any further encouragement and I sat behind him on my knees with the grass tickling my legs. I felt like he seemed tense so I tried my best to comfort him, "Sorry, I know this is very random and kind of weird but you just have such nice hair and no one else will really let me do theirs because Katara won't let anyone touch her hair; Sokka won't let me take out his weird wolf tail thing: Toph is Toph and Aang doesn't really have very much to work with. Sorry, I'm rambling, I'll stop." I felt my cheeks heat up as I ran my fingers through his hair to remove any tangles.

"It's ok I don't mind. No one really talks that much to me anyway after what I did to them." He hung his head a bit and I instantly felt really really bad and I was determined to make him feel better, "Well they just haven't got used to you yet and I'm sure once they get to know you all of that will be in the past. And that will probably happen a lot sooner if you actually talk to them instead of sitting by yourself all the time." I started separating his hair into two sections along his parting and I heard him let out a small hum of agreement, relaxing his shoulders a bit and I took that as improvement. 

"Why are you being nice to me? Don't you hate me too after I attacked you and I _am_ from the fire nation." I noticed how his voice sounded rougher than before like he was trying to suppress his emotions. My heart ached for him because it was obvious that he was carrying around so much pain and self-hatred if he couldn't understand why someone would do him the simple kindness of talking to him. I leaned over him, separating off a strand of hair from the front of his head into three strands as I replied, " Honestly, I felt kinda sorry for you. I know what it's like to feel alone and isolated and I know it's not a nice feeling, and I don't hold a grudge against you for attacking me. We all have stuff that we regret but I can't take mine back and neither can you. And I have my own reasons to hate the fire nation but you didn't have any part in it and...I like you Zuko, I guess I always have but I don't quite know why."

His shoulders seemed to tense at that last part and he choked out a reply as I put the first couple of plaits into the first strand, "Uh I'm not uh I have a girlfriend" I could see the red spread across his cheeks. I couldn't hold in my amusement at that and I let out a little chuckle at him thinking I was making a move on him.

"You have nothing to worry about Zuko, I have a girlfriend too," my face fell, "I mean I did.." and just like that it all came back to me, wave upon wave of pain, raw and searing washed over me after I had held it back for so long. But I choked it down, swallowing the lump in my throat and picked up the piece of hair I had dropped, separating off other strands and pulling them into the plait.

Zuko was silent for a moment and when he did speak his voice was barely above a whisper, "I'm sorry. I know what it's like to lose someone you love. What was she like?" Honestly, I was surprised by his reply, expecting him to make some snide or rude remark about the fact that I had a girlfriend. I had just learned to expect that sort of reaction when people found out that I preferred women over men. My family and every person I had ever known had disowned and shunned me when I came out. When I had told the gang, Katara had the worst reaction; Sokka seemed shocked and confused but Aang and Toph were pretty neutral on it. Remembering his question, I thought back to all the memories I had shoved to the farthest corner of my mind all that time ago and instead of the pain that I expected, I was surrounded with a feeling of warmth and bliss. 

"She was...amazing. Absolutely gorgeous, she was completely out of my league. But she was strong and brave as well. And she was ferocious, I didn't know anyone who wasn't terrified when she was angry with them but...she was also kind and gentle. She was my...everything." I paused the intricate motion of my fingers, realising the raw emotion I had just expressed to him and trying to blink back the tears in my eyes. He turned his head so his eyes were looking into mine and I could see the pain I felt reflected in his eyes as his hand reached up from his lap and he placed it on my leg, the weight of it helping to ground me to I could regain control over my emotions. 

"What happened?" he asked, voice soft and gentle. I paused for a moment before I answered, wondering why I was so willing to pour out all my secrets to this boy I had basically just met but then I brushed that thought aside, realising I felt an understanding with him derived of shared pain and trauma.

"We were travelling together to Ba Sing Se and we were in this forest and we were ambushed by a group of fire benders who had been after us for a while and..." my hands shook and I tried to finish off his first plait, fighting to get a grip on the shaking in my voice, "she told me to run but I wouldn't leave her and I...I was stupid and I got burned by one of them and when I cried out she turned to help me and.." a tear rolled down my face, "and one of them stabbed her in the back. Right in front of me. She was bleeding so much... the-there was _so_ much blood. I wanted to _kill_ him b-but there were so many men and she shouted out for me to run a-and I did. I left her. By the time I came back they were gone and they took her with them. I don't even know if she's still _alive_ but I doubt it, ther-there was _so_ much blood. It was all my fault, they were after me and she...she just got caught in the crossfire. Protecting me. She's gone _because_ of me _."_ Silent tears were streaming down my face and I could feel him looking at me but I couldn't meet his eyes. I felt so empty. It was as if I was right back there, watching the life drain from her, the pool of blood growing on her dress, consuming her. I had stood there, helpless and watched her dying and then I had run, like a coward.

"It wasn't your fault. She obviously loved you and was willing to sacrifice her life for your safety, and I don't think she would want you to be blaming yourself for her death... I-I lost my mother when I was a child." I wiped the tears from my face, tying off the end of one plait and starting the next one, paying close attention. "She sacrificed herself for me. She found out that my father was instructed to kill me and I-I don't know what happened but the next morning she was gone. I never saw her again and I don't even know what happened to her, I don't know if I ever will." I didn't think I could speak without my voice breaking, so I got up off my knees and moved to sit in front of him and I hugged him. He tensed immediately but after a moment's hesitation, he slowly brought his arms around me and hugged me back. It was nice, comforting. For both of us, I think. It was quiet because no words needed to be said. There was an unspoken understanding between us of pain and anguish and then warmth and relief. It was, nice.

We sat like that, embracing for a minute or 5 minutes or 5 hours. 

I was the one to let to, letting out a watery laugh, "Well I might as well finish this last plait." He let out a quiet chuckle and I assumed my position behind him and ran my fingers through his hair, separating strands and weaving them into the plait, letting my mind drift away from me as my fingers focused on the intricate dance. It was quiet, still. He sat in front of me with a small smile pulling on his lips. My fingers reached the end of the plait, weaving the final three strands together until they became too short to work with and finished it off with a hair tie. I looked down at my creation and I couldn't help feeling as if something was missing. "Is it finished?" he asked, turning around to look at me. But I simply shook my head, the feeling of incompletion nagging at me.

My eyes drifted across the field and my attention was instantly caught by a little meadow of flowers ahead of us and I jumped up off my knees, making a beeline to the meadow. This was _perfect_. Grabbing a large assortment of flowers I made my way back to Zuko, giggling at the look of confusion on his face. I sank back onto my knees behind him and shushed his quiet protests, snapping the long stems of the daisies, cornflowers, poppies, bluebells and buttercups and pushing them into the gaps in the plaiting until his hair looked like it belonged on the head of a fairy princess and I burst out laughing at my beautiful and hilarious creation. 

I only laughed harder as I watched the blush spread across Zuko's face and travel down his neck and my sides started to hurt when he kept asking me what he looked like and demanding to see a mirror. I eventually calmed down and grabbed his hand, leading him down the steps towards the temple. 

"Where are you taking me? What does it look like? Why were you laughing so much?" Ignoring his questions and grumbling, I led him to the upper level where everyone was gathered together, talking and joking with each other. They didn't notice us at first so I cleared my throat loudly, ignoring Zuko's tugging on my arm. They all stopped talking and turned around to face us. Zuko tried to hide behind my back but I put my arm around his shoulders and pulled him to stand next to me. They were all silently staring at us with wide eyes. Then out of the silence, Aang burst out laughing and Sokka followed suit until the whole gang was giggling about the two french plaits in Zuko's hair, stuffed full of flowers. And in amongst the laughter, Toph was looking around at everyone, demanding to know what was so funny.

I looked back at Zuko and found him staring at me with a warm look on his face, "thank you" he whispered, to which I shook my head smiling, "No, thank you Zuko." And he pulled me into a hug and I let my thoughts drift away, focusing on the sounds of my friends laughing; the warmth of the sun on my back and the flowers blooming out of Zuko's french plaits.


End file.
